President Trump declared the 2nd of April as “Liberation Day”, which signalled a seismic shift in US trade policy. On the campaign trail, we saw President Trump’s affinity for tariffs, with him labelling the word “the most beautiful word in the dictionary” and noting that he sees tariffs as a way of achieving multiple objectives: …
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has delivered her Spring Statement, outlining the UK’s latest economic and spending priorities against a backdrop of tightening fiscal constraints. Reeves didn’t downplay the difficulties ahead. She pointed directly to external forces, including Donald Trump’s reintroduction of trade tariffs, as factors compounding the strain on the public purse. These global pressures have …
Savers are missing out on millions of pounds in interest after leaving £54 billion in low-interest savings accounts. Analysis from savings provider Paragon Bank has found £52.4 billion is languishing in instant access accounts that pay less than 2% interest, while £1.7 billion is held in fixed-rate ISAs earning 2% or less. Further to that, …
Introduction Geopolitics continues to dominate the financial news as markets continue to react to Trump’s unpredictable tariff war. In 2024 the US was not just the world biggest economy, it was firing on all cylinders, as Trump returned for a second turn. At the end of the first quarter of 2025 the question on many …
This Spring Statement was always intended to be a fiscal non-event. Chancellor Rachel Reeves had promised that there would only be one major economic event each year and last October’s controversial budget was most definitely intended to be it. Speculation has been rising that this Spring Statement might break that promise, and bring some surprises …
Introduction The FTSE 100 hit another record high in February, and both the UK and the Eurozone fared surprisingly well in the face of Trump’s tariff threats. How long European equity markets will continue to outpace US markets remains to be seen but for now it is with some irony that Trump’s aggressive economic policy …
Donald Trump has been inaugurated as the 47th President of the USA, on arrival he has announced a raft of immediate measures and made a series of threats too. One of these threats is the imposition of new trade tariffs. He has warned both Canada and Mexico they could face 25% import tariffs to the …
Introduction The FTSE 100 hit record highs in January, as Donald Trump took office for the second time. The announcement of US trade tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China have caused some turbulence and whilst the EU seems to be in Trump’s line of sight next, there are strong hints that the UK may have …
UK Government borrowing costs have soared in the wake of its Autumn Budget, with some gilt yields reaching levels not seen since 1998. Yields on the 30-year UK Gilt have reached above 5.22% – higher than at any point since 1998, as the Government looks to sell fresh bonds in order to fund its spending …
Introduction A New Year gives us the chance to look forward. We can expect more change in 2025 for personal finances, with a new Labour budget laid out and a returning President in the US. 2024 was a year of speculation and political change across the world, with President Trump and the Labour Party the …
